29 dogs left at park now up for adoption

The dogs, identified as Lhasa Apso Chihuahua mixes, have been kept in isolation at OC Animal Care's Orange County shelter since they were abandoned at San Remo Park on May 20. They range from 6 months to 6 years old; most are adult dogs, said Ryan Drabek, director of the animal care agency.

Since the dogs were impounded, five have given birth and three more were taken from the Rancho Santa Margarita home. According to Drabek, the woman has relinquished all the dogs to the shelter. They were held while the Orange County Sheriff Department finished its investigation of the incident that left them packed into two large dog kennels at the park. The case has been submitted to the District Attorney's office for review.

On Saturday, 22 of the dogs will be available during O.C. Animal Care California Dreamin' Pet Fair held at the Orange County Animal Shelter, 561 The City Drive in Orange. The fair will start at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m. The pet care agency will also have more than 100 other dogs available along with cats, kittens and bunnies. The young puppies and several others who are still traumatized from the event will be up for adoption later.

"We're very excited to include these dogs in our annual Pet Fair adoption event" said Drabek. "They have endured quite a lot in the last month and we look forward to giving our community the opportunity to give these dogs, and many others, a second chance. We invite everyone to come out and see the many animals we have available for adoption, visit over 60 pet related vendors and rescue organizations that will be in attendance, and possibly take home a new forever friend."

When the dogs were first left at the park, witnesses told them they had been put there by a man who also left a broken down truck parked nearby. Sheriff's investigators first tracked the truck to a Huntington Beach address but learned the man was no longer living there. They continued their efforts and a few days later located the man who was connected to the truck, said Lt. Tom Behrens, chief of police in Laguna Hills.

The man told investigators he had taken the dogs from his mother's Rancho Santa Margarita home with plans to take them to an animal shelter, but his car broke down in Laguna Hills and he unloaded the dogs there, Behrens said. He told investigators that his mother had had them for a long time and there were many dogs.

According to OSCD Sheriff's Department records, there had been no calls for service to the home in question. The home is in the northern part of the city in a residential neighborhood near the 241 toll road. The man told police his car broke down in Laguna Hills and he unloaded the dogs there. It's unclear whether the man had planned to return and pick up the dogs, Behrens said.